Forbidden Places of the Heart
by crystal-lilly
Summary: This is my first Luna/Artemis tale!!! Yippee!!! This is the story of when Luna and Artemis met on the moon!! so very sweet! read/review please
1. Preface: A Heavy Burden

Serena gazed at the full moon and sighed. She was remembering all the good times she had enjoyed on the moon. Nights with Endymion, days with Luna and her mother, and parties with the other princesses. SO many lost day since then. Serena found the feeling of homesickness overwhelming at times. And so, she transported herself to the palace ruins. There, in the center of where the palace once stood, was the remaining room: realm of the Imperium Silver Crystal. Serena closed her eyes and imagined her mother standing there, giving her lessons on how to be a proper queen. Serena smiled unconsciously. Being queen was something she never would have thought about if her mother hadn't brought it up. She knew that her mother would live thousands of years, perhaps forever. Serena was only seventeen in the Silver Millennium when her mother died. As she thought of this, one solitary tear fell down Serena's cheek. A soft breeze blew and dried her tears. Serena could feel her mother's presence and power in this place, even if she couldn't see her. Nearby, a silent figure watched her queen from the shadows. She swiftly returned to the only form that Serena had known. Quietly the form walked forward into the light. The guardian of the moon princess and of Sailor Moon uttered one soft word, catching Serena by surprise. "Serenity." "Oh!" Serena opened her eyes and looked at Luna. "You startled me. I was just.um.I was." She didn't want to admit her loneliness for her mother. "You were just praying to see your mother here." Luna knew Serena all too well. "I hate to tell you, but I doubt that you will see her here tonight. Is there something you would like to talk to me about instead?" "No thank you, Luna." Serena sighted. "I'll just go back to Earth no." She disappeared. As soon as she was gone, Luna stood up and transformed back into her original from. She walked along the premises of the old castle, her old home. She passed the ballroom, which was now nothing more than a heap of white marble. In her mind, she could see the ballroom as it once was: beautiful white marble, whit delicate designs crisscrossing each other, over the banisters, through the halls; a never-ending circle. The floors were made of lustrous mahogany, imported from earth, and balconies were always covered with fragrant flower from the other planets. Flowers.. Luna made her way to the gardens. Some of the columns were still standing, but the flowers had long since died off. The only remnants of the beautiful garden were fossilized tree branches, dark and twisted, much like the demon whom had destroyed this world. Luna walked around the garden, making her way to the front hall of the palace, which was no longer intact. Luna stepped over the rubble and dug into the white marble rubble. Beneath her, she found the center of the control room, where all of the maps for all of the star systems in the universe had once resided. Here, all one had to do was ask for the star map to any system, and the walls and ceiling and floor became one moving sphere of stars. It had been one of Luna's favorite rooms. She paused, remembering the countless hours she had spent memorizing these star systems. Luna stood up again and walked to the back of the palace. To her surprise, the stream was still flowing. Luna looked into the water and there she saw, for the first time in many years, her human reflection. Reflected in the rippling waters was a raven-haired beauty; her nose soft but firm, her eyes were bright blue, like the sky. Her mouth was charming, the color of deep scarlet roses. Her hair hung loosely about her shoulder, except where it was pulled up into tow buns on either side of her head. It was wavy, and black with streaks of purple. Her skin was as white as snow, with one exception: the golden crescent moon on her forehead that served as a reminder of her place in the palace. Luna was surprised to see she hadn't aged. She looked to be only 18 years old, but she felt the burden of her years...such a heavy burden to carry. 


	2. Eclispe 1: When Luna Met Artemis

When Luna was born, her mother and father rejoiced. She was a beautiful child, and it was apparent immediately that she was exceptionally intelligent. Her parents decided to take her to the queen to be put in training as a priestess when she was two years old, a high honor for a child her age. The queen immediately preferred the child more so than she did the other students and kept Luna by her side nearly all the time. Queen Serenity was truly the only mother Luna knew because she never saw her parents after she was accepted as a priestess. While the other priests-in- training were having classes, Luna was talking with Serenity about deep subjects. Serenity could see that Luna was very thorough with her thoughts, but she had a quick tongue and spoke her mind often without fear. By the time Luna had reached and age of 3, she could read very well, and did so profusely. She read everything she could get her hands on, absorbing information quickly. People were astounded by her knowledge. Secretly, the queen was preparing her to be an advisor. At the age of 10, Luna had read every book in all the libraries of every planet in the system. She was ready to officially be announced as the primary advisor to the queen. Although she valued Luna and knew she would be the best advisor any ruler could hope for, Queen Serenity was concerned. Luna was still only a child, and Serenity felt that she had taken away Luna's childhood. But Luna was adamant. "Your highness, with all due respect, I hold more knowledge than even your most educated scholars. I have read all the ancient scripts I have conversed with you extensively on every subject you have been concerned with. Why will you not make me your royal advisor?" Luna pouted. "Luna, the scholars have something you don't: thousands of years of experience. It's not that I do not believe that you can make good decisions, or that you have not had enough education. I just feel that you are not old enough. Surely you can understand that. My youngest advisor up until this point was still over 100 years old. And you are only 10. Do you not want to experience more in life before you take that step? Because noon of my advisors have had time for love, families, or leisure time after they came to me. You haven't even tasted these yet." Luna understood. Secretly, she prayed that she could become the queen's official advisor soon. It was her only dream. But in many respects, she already was the queen's advisor. The queen came to Luna and usually went with her judgments when she needed and informed opinion. It was also known around the entire kingdom that Luna had special powers, like the ability to read minds. But this never popped into her head. Luna felt that her power was inconsequential, and went along in her life like any normal moon- child. One day, when she was about 16, Luna sat picking flowers in the gardens behind the palace. It was a beautiful place, but was not open to the public except of special occasions. So, she was surprised when he heard a boys voice behind her. "Hello," came the voice behind some bushes. "Wha." Luna whirled around. "Who are you? What are you doing in the gardens? Don't you know that you are not allowed here?" "I'm not?" the teenager asked innocently. "Then why are you here?" "Because I am a priestess for the queen and one of her advisors. I live in the palace." Luna was furious that he would ask such a question. Did he not know who she was?!! "I'm a priest-in-training. I believe I haver every right to be here as you do," the boy smirked. "Do you think you're the only one who is privileged to go around talking to the royalty?" "Why, I.." Luna found herself speechless. She had not be very gracious to this boy, and she had deserved his comment, but it stung. She took a moment to regain her dignity. She bowed her head in resignation. "I'm sorry, please forgive me for being so rude. Of course you have every right to be here. You just startled me, that's all." "I'm glad that you agree." The boy walked over to Luna, who took the opportunity to look him over. He was about her age, maybe a year older, and had very handsome features. His hair was long and silver, and he carried himself well. Luna snapped out of her trance when he proceeded to sit down next to her. "What are you doing? I'm trying to concentrate over here." Luna felt herself getting angry again. "I was coming to make conversation. My name is." "Artemis." Luna said, showing an impatientness for his impertinece. "And I am.." "You must be Luna, the wonder child. No one has every read my mind so quickly before. You must be talented as they say." Luna flushed (out of anger, or so she told herself.) Artemis continued. "Anyway, I figured if you came to the garden to escape, then you must be a great conversationalist, because this is where all the scholars come to concentrate. Besides, I've never actually met a real advisor to the queen. They're usually holed up in their quarters, waiting on her majesty to call on them." Luna laughed. It was true. The advisors seemed to do nothing but wait for the queen to call on them. But not her, she lived her life to the fullest, as the queen had told her so many years before. "I hope the queen didn't hear that. I don't think she would have liked it," Luna giggled. At this, Artemis laughed. "If she's anything like her husband, I'm sure she would have found it just as funny as you did. I attend to the to the needs of the king, that is my duty. Mostly, I tell him jokes, I've never been a great diplomat; not like you." "You know, I've only met the king a couple of times. And what is funny is, I spend more time with the queen sometimes than he does." Luna imagined the queen's husband, a very handsome man who sat back and let his wife rule, which was her birthright. Artemis grinned. "He's a wonderful teacher, anyway, I wish that I could meet the queen. The way he talks about her, you would think she had hung the moon and the sun. Those two are very much in love, it is such a pity that they can't spend enough time together." Luna sighed. It was sad thinking that the queen had a wonderful life, and love to go along with it. Now at the age of 16, Luna had never really gotten a chance to have any suitors, much less a boyfriend. Love was something that she rarely thought about; but when she did she felt depressed. "What's wrong?" Artemis asked after a moment of silence. "You've been quiet for some time now. Did I say something wrong?" "No, it's nothing. I was just wishing for a love like the queen and king's. You know, they say a soul bond like that comes once in a millennium. But, listen to me, going on about love to a complete stranger." Luna looked to the sky, looking for inspiration as to another subject to discuss. And immediately she found it, there was the earth, a beautiful blue and green crystal of life. She pointed up to it, "Artemis have you ever been there?" "No," Artemis shook his head, " but I hear it is very beautiful. Maybe you and I will go there someday." He looked at Luna. "That is, if you want to go with me." Luna blushed, "Are you asking me to go with you?" Artemis grinned, "Yes, what better company than the greatest advisor to the queen!" Artemis chuckled. "Well, that is a very serious request, considering that we just met." Luan looked away. "Does that make you uncomfortable?" Artemis asked, and quickly added, "because if it does, I can drop the subject and we can talk about something else. But to tell the truth, the only reason I came over here was to talk to you." Artemis, looks down into to the grass as his face turns a lovely shade of red. "You are very beautiful, you know." Luna turned an even more crimson color. "Thank you," she looked back at him. "No one has ever said that to me before." Suddenly, Luna gasped and stood up quickly. "Oh no, I have to go!" Artemis looked distressed he thought he had truly offended her, "Wait, where are you going?" "I have a meeting with the queen, and I'm running late! I really must go. Good-bye Artemis." Luna called behind her, taking off at fast pace. "But can I see again?! How about tomorrow, right here about this time?" Artemis called after her. Luna turned and smiled. "All right, I'll see you then." And then she disappeared into the shadows of the palace walls. Luna was out of breath when she finally made it to the queen's chambers. "Your majesty, I'm so sorry that I am late. It is just that I was out in the garden and I lost track of time and." Queen Serenity looked graciously at Luna, "Luna, do not worry. I already know." Queen Serenity patted the bed next to her. Luna nodded and sat down next to her. "That young man, Artemis, he is very entertaining; and very promising as well." Luna blushed. "Yes, your majesty. Please forgive me, I promise not to be late again, it will not happen again." "Do not fret Luna, I am not upset, on the contrary, it is nice to see you taking an interest in young men." Queen Serenity brushed a strand of hair back from Luna's face. "Now, to discuss the business at hand." Queen Serenity and Luna talked for hours before Luna started getting too tired to carry on the conversation. "Luna, you go on to bed. We shall finish our discussion at another time." Once Luna arrived at her room, however, she could not sleep. She stayed awaked, thinking about the boy she had met today. There was something about him that made Luna feel.different. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but she knew she had to see him again. But soon exhaustion overtook Luna and she drifted off into a peaceful slumber, dreaming of Artemis's gray eyes. 


	3. Eclispe 2: Mixed Emotions

Author's Note: Sorry that it took so long for me to finish this chapter, but now it if finally here!! Hope you guys enjoy! And thanks to all the reviewers for their encouragement and hints. (Thanky-swanky)  
  
Eclipse 3: Mixed Emotions  
  
On Earth many civil wars had broken out among its once peaceful and loving people. A dark force had steadily begun to consume the planet, and its people. This force was known as the Negaforce.  
  
Within the deepest regions of this darkness its queen, Lady Beryl, gazed into a crystal ball. For the past year Beryl had been collecting followers, in order to obtain a force great enough to take over the planet.  
  
But her actions had not been without incident and the King of the Moon, King Endoymar, had taken a sudden interest in the planet.  
  
Beryl did not know what information the King that obtained so far, but all she was concerned with was silencing Endoymar, and anyone who he revealed his secrets to.  
  
In the crystal ball, Artemis's gray eyes stared back at her, and with a wave of Beryl's hand, Luna's image swarmed across the crystal's surface. Artemis would be the only one to know the King's secrets, and this girl seemed to be Artemis's weakness.  
  
A pair of blue eyes glowed in the darkness as Jedite stepped toward his queen.  
  
"You called, your majesty?" Jedite bowed to but his haunting eyes remained focused on Beryl.  
  
"Yes, my dear general. I have a mission for you. You are to pay close attention to this Artemis and his dear Luna; I want to know what they do, where they meet, and everything else about them. I believe I have found a solution to our problem," Beryl smirked.  
  
"The king will never be able to keep his secrets safe from us, not even with his most trusted advisor."  
  
Jedite bowed and disappeared.  
  
The next day, Artemis went into the garden extra early to meet Luna and surprise her, but found that she was already waiting for him  
  
"You're early," he said as he walked up. He drank in her smile and felt the warmth coming from her demeanor.  
  
"I could say the same about you," Luna remained where she was. She was very unsure about how to act around him. Should she hug him, or should she remain aloof? She decided to let him make the first move.  
  
Artemis went right up to her and took her hand in his and gently kissed it.  
  
"Can I make a confession?" he asked quietly, searching her eyes.  
  
"Please do," Luna's bewitching eyes smiled back at him.  
  
"I couldn't sleep last night in anticipation of seeing you again. I just couldn't wait to talk to you again. You're so interesting, Luna." She blushed at his admission. "Please don't be embarrassed. I find it rather pleasant." Artemis pulled a willing Luna toward one of the trees in the garden.  
  
"I have a surprise for you."  
  
"What could it be?" Luna thought to herself. Soon she found out what it was.  
  
Artemis uncovered a basket of food, with some of the finest delicacies found on the moon.  
  
"I thought we could have a picnic by the stream."  
  
"Oh, how wonderful!" Luna marveled at the food, and ate heartily even though she didn't feel hungry. She did not want to insult Artemis's attempts to please her.  
  
After they finished their meal, they lazed about, talking quietly for hours about their lives.  
  
"Well, my parents died when I was small, and my aunt and uncle thought it best to bring me here. They thought I was very intelligent, because I was always fixing things. But the truth is, I'm just clever at times. I've never been very intelligent. Anyway, the king likes to laugh, so he keeps me around." Artemis said with pride.  
  
"That's funny, you don't say many clever things to me." Luna acted hurt.  
  
"You haven't known me long enough. You'll get to know me very well, I hope, in the times we spend together. I would really like to see you again Luna."  
  
Artemis took her hand again.  
  
"I hope that you want to see me too."  
  
Luna nodded.  
  
"So. I have to leave now, but I'll see you again tomorrow, right?"  
  
Luna nodded again and watched as he left the garden.  
  
From the shadows, a figure turned and left to report these things to his queen.  
  
After their first encounters, Luna and Artemis made sure to see each other every day. They thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and felt a strong bond of companionship; best friends who would talk to each other about everything, or so Luna thought at first.  
  
But she felt that Artemis was keeping something from her. She wasn't sure what it was, but it hurt her deeply that Artemis should keep anything from her.  
  
So, she resolved herself to keep from falling in love with Artemis. She and Artemis were good friends; that was all. And she told herself this every night as she dreamed of his steely gray eyes.  
  
Artemis, on the other hand, had felt something more than platonic from the moment they had met in the garden, could not understand why Luna kept herself distant from him.  
  
He couldn't touch her, without her pulling away. As time wore on, he realized why she would not come closer to him: she knew that he wasn't telling her the whole truth about his life on the moon.  
  
So one afternoon, Artemis sat Luna down and explained himself.  
  
He began by telling Luna that he did more that tell the king jokes, he was on the ambassadors that the king relied on heavily.  
  
He had heard and seen ghastly things that he hoped Luna would never have to encounter in her lifetime. Luna was astonished by what she heard. She didn't know that people actually hurt other people because they wanted to.  
  
Suddenly she didn't feel so intelligent and sophisticated. She had no idea that any of these things went on, especially on earth.  
  
Luna had never imagined that anyone could harm another human being in these peaceful times, and the stories Artemis told her of the trials and murders of the traitors of the planet made her upset, but she was glad that Artemis was finally opening up to her.  
  
It made her feel that he trusted her, and she began to trust him.  
  
Unconsciously, they began to open up to each other even more, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds, as it had been in the first days of their encounters.  
  
Because of the newfound openness, Artemis began to imagine that Luna was reciprocating his feelings for her. In fact, it wasn't totally imagined. Luna had begun to think of Artemis often as of late, but she attributed it to the fact that they talked for hours on end, and often left their conversations unfinished until the next day.  
  
When she blushed, she told herself that it was the heat, when in fact it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. Artemis started to tell Luna his feelings for her many times; somehow Luna always seemed to put off the subject.  
  
But at any rate, Artemis decided that the time had come for him to bring his emotions out into the open, and he began to plan the perfect romantic night.  
  
Luna and Artemis had sat and talked in all parts of the palace, not just in the garden. So, Luna did not think it was unusual when Artemis asked her to come to the ballroom on this night.  
  
The change in scenery seemed necessary to bring up the delicate subject for the topic Artemis had planned for tonight.  
  
Luna even agreed to wear one of her better dresses, although Artemis did not tell her why he wanted her to.  
  
Artemis had the evening well planned out. He brought in a small orchestra, and decorated the room with small bouquets of flowers.  
  
He was checking everything one last time as Luna entered. He cued up the music, too overtaken with emotion to speak; he was amazed at how her radiance filled the room.  
  
Luna had taken special care getting ready this night, but she could not think of why she really should (or so she told herself.) She wore a sleeveless, white, gossamer dress with silver bordering. The skirt reached to the floor, gently moving around her tall frame as she walked.  
  
Her purple-tinted hair was held away from her face by a crown of purple orchids ( a natural flower of Venus) that went with her eyes extraordinarily well.  
  
Luna walked toward a speechless Artemis, with a curios look on her face.  
  
"Artemis, what is this all about?" she inquired, all the time taking in the sight of the ballroom with those eyes that entranced him.  
  
"I wanted tonight to be special. Come, dance with me," he said, taking her hand in his and leading her to the dance floor.  
  
Luna gladly accepted and noted how handsome Artemis was tonight. He was wearing a silver traditional suit that matched both her dress and his eyes. She felt herself blushing under his gaze, although she could not understand why. They danced the night away, the two of them connected by some strong bond. Luna let herself be free in his arms, and he let himself indulge in her magnificent gracefulness.  
  
"Artemis, where is your usual happy, funny self?" Luna asked suddenly, during one of the slow dances.  
  
They were so close, Artemis could feel her breath on his neck. He had to take a deep breath to regain his senses.  
  
"Tonight, I'm all seriousness," he pulled away from her, "excuse me for a moment." He kissed her hand and went over to the orchestra, telling them "thank you," and allowing them to depart.  
  
Luna could not hear their conversation, and was surprised when the orchestra rose from their seats and bowed. She was baffled at Artemis's strange behavior this evening.  
  
Usually he was very relaxed and easy to talk to, but tonight he seemed to have his mind on something else.  
  
Artemis walked back over to Luna and offered his arm to her. "Shall we?"  
  
She took his arm and he led her out to the balcony. There they looked at the stars together in silence for a moment.  
  
Luna finally could not stand it anymore.  
  
"Artemis, what is all this about? You've been preoccupied all night."  
  
Artemis looked at her. "All right, I'll tell you. But first, I have a question for you."  
  
"Good it is about time we got to our topic for today," Luna thought to herself.  
  
Luna looked at Artemis and nodded, "Go ahead Artemis."  
  
"Why have you not ever discussed us?" Artemis posed the question, catching Luna off guard.  
  
"What ever do you mean, Artemis?" she asked, blinking.  
  
"I am referring to us as a couple." Artemis turned toward Luna and let go of her arm so he could put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"I have fallen deeply in love with you, Luna" He searched her eyes for some spark like what he was feeling, but found none.  
  
"Oh, Artemis, I." Luna was confused.  
  
She certainly was very fond of Artemis, and he made her feel a happiness she had never known, but was this love? This quiet burning?  
  
She thought love was supposed to have a passion deep down that made you want to cry. Surely it wasn't as gentle as this.  
  
"Artemis, I don't know what to say."  
  
"Say you love me," Artemis's eyes pleaded with her as he spoke.  
  
"I." Luna couldn't think about this quickly. She needed some time to absorb this information. "I.can't. I mean, Artemis, it is not that I do not care about you, but I just." her voice faded away in the soft breeze.  
  
Artemis looked downtrodden, "No, of course you do not feel that way." He felt like a fool, he should have known that she would not feel the same way as he. She had never shown any signs of affection beyond friendly hugs or laughter.  
  
Feeling rejected, he turned away, letting the tears that had formed in his eyes run down his cheeks.  
  
"Artemis, wait. I did not say that I did not have feelings for you," Luna reached out for him and grabbed his arm. He turned toward her, and she saw his tears.  
  
That was not what he needed to hear; he needed to be reassured that she loved him.  
  
"You are crying,."she whispered, her beautiful blue eyes burning. "I did not want to make you cry." She reached up to dry his tears, but found herself caught in his gaze, making her unmovable.  
  
"You did not want make me cry." Artemis gazed at her, "then don't lie to me! I know you love me!"  
  
Luna looked up at him.  
  
"Artemis.. do not make me do this." But he stood rigid, he was not going to let the issue go.  
  
Finally, she couldn't stand being under his gaze any longer.  
  
"Forgive me," she cried and turned to run away.  
  
And so, she disappeared into the night.  
  
Luna ran to her room and flung herself on the bed.  
  
"Why did I not just say yes?" Luna cried to her pillow, "Why couldn't I tell him what I really feel? I don't know if this is love, but I know that I feel more strongly about him that I have about anyone else."  
  
Artemis stood in the doorway to the ballroom, his arms crossed and his face contorted with a mixture of sadness and rage, while his thoughts screamed in his mind, " How dare she lie to me! Why didn't she just say what she knows to be true?"  
  
Then he remembered how Luna had looked when she ran away, he had hurt her deeply as well.  
  
His mind argued, "Let her hurt! She has broken my heart!"  
  
Artemis fought back the tears that welled in his eyes, then he realized that if he let her go at this moment, there would be no way to ever get her back. Would he be willing to risk that?  
  
His arms fell to his sides and he sighed.  
  
Luna was lying in her bed, her face streaked with the tears that she could not cease to cry. There was a sound at the window, very soft at first, then slightly louder. She rose to see Artemis sanding on her balcony.  
  
Quickly she wiped the tears from her eyes and ran to the window, flinging it open.  
  
"Artemis! I have to tell you, I'm so sorry about what I said. I want to tell you."  
  
"Listen," Artemis whispered, "I don't know what I'm about to do, but I do not apologize for it, whatever it is."  
  
He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her fiercely, keeping her in his embrace until she went almost limp in his arms. Only then did he pull back to look into her eyes.  
  
There was a light shining in them, brighter than the moon.  
  
She smiled at him, a gentle, easy, inviting smile. This time, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, gently, so gently, scared she would pull away, but she didn't.  
  
Instead, she made the kiss deeper and encouraged him further.  
  
"There, that is better," she laughed softly, "on Artemis, I'm so sorry."  
  
Artemis made no answer except to kiss her passionately again. Yet he knew the moment must end, and so it did.  
  
He pulled himself out of her embrace and reluctantly moved a step backward.  
  
"Shall we meet again tomorrow?"  
  
Luna nodded, unable to speak  
  
"Then I can't wait, my love," he took her hand and kissed it again.  
  
Then, as deftly as a cat, he jumped from her balcony and went to his room.  
  
  
  
"Jedite!" Beryl thundered.  
  
"Yes, my queen?" Jedite appeared before her.  
  
"You haven't been reporting to me lately. Explain your behavior," Beryl was upset.  
  
She still hadn't found a way to get to Artemis without the girl getting in her way. Not that the death of the insolent girl would bother her.  
  
Luna was worth nothing to her, but she didn't want to make Serenity suspicious. If Beryl killed Artemis, she wouldn't alarm the queen so much, especially if it looked like an accident.  
  
But if she killed Luna, she knew that Serenity would take special precaution to protect all of the moon people, especially her husband.  
  
Serenity was no fool; Beryl was forced to admit that.  
  
Beryl sneered, "That stupid Serenity! She may have thought she knew everything, but she still has no idea what is going on! The moon kingdom will be torn apart, piece-by-piece, by the Earth's problems. And the first large piece of the puzzle was going to be the death of the king and his little attendant, Artemis." 


End file.
